Why Was Allison Hickey Covering For Rubens, Graves?

On Friday, Under Secretary Allison Hickey stepped down just prior to a House Committee hearing, October 21, 2015. That hearing is about allegations of pay fraud by Veterans Benefits Administration executives approved by Hickey.

Late Friday afternoon, the House Committee was scrambling to figure out how to subpoena Hickey to ensure she shows up to account for the pay scandal. Lawmakers no doubt want to question Hickey over the undeserved pay incentives she approved and interference she was running for Diana Rubens and Kim Graves.

@deptvetaffairs What is the real story on Diana Rubens and Hickey?
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Many may be unfamiliar with bean counter type games where nepotism allows pay incentives that are unjustifiable, but this gaming of the system goes back to at least 2007 and probably much earlier.The real story here is VA has been pushing forward to create its current electronic claims system using insurance technology since 1993. Documents in the Clinton Library are very insightful on the subject. It is highly likely that leaders like Allison Hickey refused to terminate longtime VA bureaucrats involved in VBA reforms to avoid losing institutional knowledge that only they have.

This article is intended to put a call out for information from readers. Below are some details to see what we can shake loose from the tree.

In 2007, Kim Graves’ husband Mike Walcoff voted to give healthy bonuses to himself and his wife. Later, Walcoff went on to become the acting Under Secretary of VBA before Hickey took over. At that time, he arranged for Graves to receive a promotion to Director of VBA Eastern Area Office.

Back then, numerous VBA executives voted to award themselves huge bonuses despite failing to craft an accurate budget. It was $1.3 billion short. Some of the names back then are also resurfacing today that came back to bite Allison Hickey. Kim Graves was a director at the time and benefactor of a substantial bonus while her husband, Mike Walcoff, voted on his and her bonuses that year. Apparently nothing came of the pay scandal then.

Walcoff went on to become the acting under secretary for benefits in 2010 before Allison Hickey took over. Allegations have recently surfaced that Walcoff was key in his wife receiving a promotion to VBA Eastern Area for five years before she took a demotion to run St. Paul RO while taking a pay reduction.

Graves recently received $125,000 as a moving incentive to take a demotion for a position in St. Paul, MN, that she personally created.

Likewise, Diana Rubens accepted $280,000 as a moving incentive. She also created a position for her partner so they could move together. VA OIG apparently investigated the nepotism but found no wrongdoing.

Before this current scandal, Rubens was linked to a spying scheme in Philadelphia Regional Office of House Committee staffers. They also destroyed numerous Federal records related to veterans claims and blocked attempts by Congress to investigate.

Typical VA nepotism? Will the House Committee on Veterans Affairs get Allison Hickey to show up this week?

UPDATE

I just received her “My final love note – Thank you and God Bless!” to her employees. Regardless of how the hearing turns out, no one can question Allison Hickey’s commitment to her employees – right or wrong. Check in tomorrow when I post it for you to review and comment on…

Here is the first paragraphs, but there is a lot more to evaluate including the aggregate data claims she makes including that the backlog was reduced from 611,000 to 70,000 with very high accuracy claims. I will post the rest tomorrow:

VBA Team Members, VA Team Members and Partners,

Over the last four and a half years, I have sent you many a note acknowledging all the extraordinary efforts and results you have driven to significantly improve our delivery of benefits and services to our over 12 million Veterans, Servicemembers, their families and Survivors. In every one of these notes, there was also an ask, a call to action, for the next level of service we can and should provide.

ABOUT FOUNDER
Benjamin Krause is a lawyer, investigative reporter and award-winning veterans advocate. He is author of the guide Voc Rehab Survival Guide for Veterans and chief editor of DisabledVeterans.org.
He received his Bachelors from Northwestern University and Law Degree from the University of Minnesota, both using VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment.
He is also featured regularly in national publications as an authority on Department of Veterans Affairs policy such as Bloomberg News, Foreign Policy Magazine, Washington Times, Fox News, CBS, NBC, Star Tribune and more.
_____________________________________________________________

38 COMMENTS

This Hickey decided my case in ONE week after my C&P exams uneard of, covered everything up, did not even look at all of the evidence. The VA is using me as a human guinea pig, almost died at a VA hospital. Seven surgeries my face, brain, sinuses, ears are still infected.

Kevin, this may sound too basic, but get someone to make some home-made chicken soup for you, and stay on it till you get better. If you can’t get home-made, use canned. It will help, a lot. And, hopefully you can get to a good doctor to see if you can be put on anti-biotics.

@Bruce- Great advice. I often have nausea, and there’s times when you know body is lacking in fighting something off, and that’s why I keep canned Campbell chicken soup stocked whenever on sale, and saltine crackers…works wonders.
However, Kevin up there sounds like he needs to see a civilian dr. as I know well, having the VA give me ‘little presents’ like C-DIFF and MRSA…bad, MRSA…the VA does not exactly “keep-up” in “application” with the civilian medical world…yet, the VA uses Medical Residents like cattle to a meat plant…not a great situation for the Veteran because absolutely no consistency of care…none.

“Chicken Good!”, ‘Fifth Element’

@Kevin- get some medical attention for those infections. Nothing to mess with.

The whole mess at the VA, including these three women, is destined to turn out to be a thousand times worse than most would ever guess. If only a small portion of the entire truth, about VA Dirty Laundry soon comes out, as to the driving forces of the widespread corruption at the VA, that will be more than enough. Watch for people and evidence being thrown overboard as the rats start leaving the sinking ship. It’s a carefully crafted, $400,000 scandal with its own built-in fall guy (gal: Hickey). A clever distraction to make the major media and American people forget about the incompetence and graft of the failed, billion dollar VA hospital scandal, ongoing bad medical care, and rot at every level of leadership and services. Top leadership’s biggest problem is making sure these three gals don’t start talking. They no doubt already feel threatened with likely criminal prosecution. They are not likely to go quietly without taking others with them, including those at the very top. Would anyone be surprised if some outside agency, more like a private government contractor/corporation, soon stepped in and took over the VA, all or in part, temporarily or permanently? That could have been the plan from the beginning. No matter, this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg of VA corruption. Not even close. Smoke and mirrors, impressive but obvious slight of hand distraction techniques, with a few (three) “human sacrifices” thrown in for good measure, nothing more. But, it’s major progress.

Plea Deal.
Gen. Hickey has a rare and unique opportunity to start naming names and fraud/abuses, and am almost wondering if she was not made to resign early if she did so on her own accord to pave the way for her to perhaps have some protections if she did decide to be the very whistleblower of all whistleblowers in order to clean-up the VA. Human Ego is also surely at play but if Hickey is the devout Christian she claims to be, it would definitely be in HER best interest to fully cooperate, above and beyond, to start weeding-out the upper part of this iceberg of corruption.

These moving of people around, creating their own vacancies, bonuses, and Nepotism have likely been going on for a very long time…contributing highly to lack of standardization, accountability, and lack of leadership.

The VA is a ca$h cow for these rotten manipulators.

ALL VA BONUSES NEED TO BE DONE AWAY WITH. These bonuses do absolutely nothing to make Veterans obtain great care and the benefits earned/deserved. Will go as far as believing both Nepotism and Bonuses are what have highly contributed to the adversarial experience that’s the VA. The “Veteran” gets forgotten for reason they are there in first place. They have been only using Veterans as their ‘ca$h cows’, and like Bruce mentioned, this only tip of iceberg of corruption but it would be very ODD if none of just these three women end-up not giving names in order to try to save their own self-serving a$$e$.
An Officer is to be held at the highest level of accountability. I believe that ANY VARO/VAMC Director should be held under same accountability as well as all management.
Let’s pray this is Pandora’s Box that opens to much more.

Gen. Hickey, please do the Honorable thing. PLEA DEAL. Help us make the VA something to be proud of.

The 3 Bees! Bob’s Biligerent Bitches . It is straight deplurable that high ranking military officers at VA get duped. I think this is intentional, so it doesn’t look really bad if the Agency head was a civilian. I think it is set up this way so that the “veteran” is the fall guy in every instance. These Congressmen get to be the same way, until there is pressure put on them. GOD forbid , that there is a major offensive on the US, but these VA facilities will not be ready for mass casualty events as they are intended to be in the defense framework. These fuckbuckets need to get their act together.

CorpsmanuP,
You just might be onto something. With the influx of 10’s of 1,000’s of “illegal immigrants”, (no one knows how many really), and a few hundred thousand (middle eastern) immigrants being “forced upon American cities” (soon). It’s the opinion of millions of Americans right now, something is going to happen in a negative light.
Our government wants our cities to take in, without due process or viable background checks, people who just might to want cause harm to America. It’s occurring in Europe as I type this ‘comment’. So why allow it? Has our “elected” and “appointed” officials taken too many drugs?
Reports are coming out of European cities where they are having lots of trouble with these immigrants. But our main stream media is reporting the opposite in most cases. Again, WHY?
VA is not, and will not, be able to handle what may happen in the short future. That is, if they don’t get their proverbial shit together!

Does anyone remember the first “National Treasure” movie? There’s a great ‘line’ in it, it was repeated by the FBI agent (a “Mason”) a few times.
“Somebody’s got to go to jail!”

Myself and namnibor have said it straight.
Do a “Plea Deal” Hickey!
If Hickey had any kind of “integrity, honor and trustworthy qualities” at all, she would go to that hearing (on her own) and tell all of America the truth!
Here’s my take, Hickey goes to the hearing. Whether on her own or by subpoena. She divulges the names of ALL persons who have received (illegal) monies for anything and everything while she was in charge. They go to jail. She gets probation.
Congress needs to grow a backbone (and some balls) and do what’s right for veterans and the taxpayers. Or, they get kicked out of their jobs come election time.
They just supposedly received $171 billion in allocations. Way more than the $168+ they were asking to receive. All this was going on and then it comes out Seniors and Veterans will not receive a COLA increase. How’s that for bullcrap. Seniors ARE freaking pissed. So are veterans!
Where are those taxpayers monies going to go? What devious plans does McDonald have in store for it? How soon will McDonald, or someone else, be back in front of the committee, explaining how VA is “over budget” and VA needs more money, AGAIN!?
Something has got to give.

This is something my wife just said. Hickey is like the DAV. She helps a few veterans receive their benefits, then “glamorises” it. You know, like Rep. Miller being in the DAV Magazine every other month. Saying how much He’s doing for veterans. What a crock of bullcrap!

Elf, I may very well be wrong, but I seem to remember one year when there was no increase, but later in the year they went back and made one. There is likely to be a close Presidential race, right up to the vote in late 2016, with major posturing to get the veteran vote. If anyone could find this kind of thing on the net it would be you. Again, I may just be dreaming, but it seems like they did a ‘late increase’ several months into the year, maybe about 5 years ago.

What many people do not take in account when it comes to elderly or Veterans living on a Fixed Income is, regardless of the “lower gas prices”, if a person is renting an apartment (which probably more Vets do than own a home), a landlord could care less that there was no COLA Increase for any given year…they will increase the rent per month SO THEY can keep-up with increased costs, so take $50. a month X 12= $600. additional $$$ while nothing is coming-in to make-up for that increase. It really does not matter if it’s $300 or $600 more a year…gas prices being lower in no way comes into the equation there, leaving seniors and Veterans high and dry, while VA employees receive regular “performance bonuses and more” regardless of a COLA or not.
Not exactly being very Veteran-Centric, the VA. Seems to be always slanted to benefit the damn employees.

Let me say this about people’s suggestions that perhaps the VA should be ‘Privatized’….I truly believe that with the VA already ears-deep in ‘Privatizing” by virtually contracting *everything out*, it’s a form of “Privatizing” that has contributed to a broken VA….think it’s bad now…full Privatization of the VA would have even MORE HANDS in the coffers…you can bet on this!

The VA needs/requires: Standardization and Accountability and Leadership.

There should NEVER be a profound difference going from one VAMC to another, from one State to another State, etc. This lack of Standardization has thrown ANY form of Discipline out the window or down the VA Toilets.

This is no different that the likes of companies in past: Enron, et al. Corruption in Leadership more or less tells everyone in lower positions IT’s FAIR GAME….GET YOUR OWN BEFORE THE SHIP SINKS….THEN FIND ANOTHER SHIP TO SINK!!

Praying that Pres. Obama does not simply place another of his horrible lackey choices into Under Secretary Position.

For what it’s worth: I lost all respect for Sec. McDonald when he got caught with lies in his mouth the very first time. I simply cannot nor should not accept dishonesty as a “Oh…I must have MISSPOKE” as yet another excuse. Then he lied about numbers and other things. Blaming Vietnam Veterans for cost overruns because THEY ARE GETTING OLDER….entirely unacceptable. THEN, they QUIETLY allowed the very Agent Orange Presumptive Law/Act to expire!!

I think it would be very interesting if the government would look at all management positions through out the VA and see how many employees are related or child hood friends, holding these positions!

I have seen an assistant director retire at a facility where I worked (VA)

As soon as he left the VA hired his son, as the supervisor of the file room, he was hired from the outside!

When employees complained about it, management released him from that position and promoted his to another position, when more complaints came, they promoted him again into a management training position and shortly after transferring him to another VA as chief of medical administration service, his name David green! Probably a director at some VA by now and probably continues the practice, by hiring more family members or friends into positions they can minulpate!

This type of hiring practice, I bet runs rapid through out the VA system!

There are currently 81 Veterans serving in the Congress. The former XO of Seal Team Six has said he wants to be the next Speaker of the House. With their experience in the Military and their status as a Veteran, we would hope they are strategically located on the various Veterans Affairs Committees to speak out on those issues that are Pro Veterans. Not off to a good start, Last week, the Senate voted no on a bill that would have helped Veterans. Lets see how future legislation to help Veterans fare.

My congressman Rep Lee Zeldin is an Army Reserve officer. He is on the veterans affairs committee. In two months he can’t get McDonald or Hickey to answer his letter on why they let those under them in Indy break laws as in Title 38 Duty to Assist, Fast Letter 09-52, Training Letter 09-01, etc.

Hickey sent it back to the same people in Indy who broke the law to answer why they did. She was either just as corrupt or an idiot EEO Peter Principle appointee.

Someone at SOCOM said that the VA lately was in chaos like never before. Possible death spiral. Those boys ought to know what chaos looks like.

Another person told me that Hickey was seen looking ready to cry often. Couple that with God told her not to resign and I’d say she was becoming or is unhinged.

I also heard that Indianapolis Director Michael Stephens is in deep doo-doo over the fiduciary program if they ever do an anal on that mess.

Danny Pullamm is in charge right now but I would like to know why a known Iran Contra writer has some “memories”. His bio list Central America and Panama on it. I have asked a few more I know that were there to look into him. God forbid he gets Hickey’s position fulltime only to turn out to be another kiss ass.

And, as usual my congressman could not get a letter answered in TWO months from Baghdad Bob McDonald who past it to Hickey who past it to the same people in Indy who broke the law to answer why they broke the law.

Good riddance to a lady who it appears couldn’t hack the job.

I vote John Bolton for the job. He took on the third world turds at the UN..he can handle third world medical care and corrupt execs at the VA. And, I want him in Baghdad Bob’s seat. Send that sociopath packing. Montel Williams for Hickey’s job. At least he had concrete plans when the VA scandal erupted last year.

And let’s not forget the article I gave yesterday concerning a new scandal out of the Phoenix VAMC,
“Delays at VA Urology clinic implicated in deaths” from “military dot com”!

Robin, you may be right. The Veterans Administration may very well be in “chaos” and a “death spiral”.
With all the negative news reports coming out as of late, VA (and our so called lawmakers) is definitely feeling the pressures by veterans and taxpayers. I believe Old McD might want to reconsider his position. Will he go down with the ship? Or will he be like that captain of the ConCordia? Leave a “dying ship” too soon, and leave many others to scramble for their lives?

Something my wife wanted me to reiterate. Don’t forget NO COLA increase. Why is that? Our lawmakers want us to believe it’s “due to gasoline prices dropping”! Sorry, but that is, as a close friend of mine would say, “Pure Unadulterated Bull Shit!” He’s a MAN of few words. But one hell of a friend!

People being fired or forced to retire and being replaced without out being told, thing’s will not be tolerated business as usual!

Every employee needs to be informed IF their actions or inaction results in veterans being denied benefits and found out that the employees improperly denied those benefits is a criminal act and federal charges be placed upon them and will be arrested!

All federal employees have the right not to do something they know is wrong and not do it and not be afraid of management retaliation!

If employees are not prosecuted and other employees see for themselves, that there is a price to pay for any illegal actions committed by them or other employees!

Accountability is the key and retaliation laws must be reinforced, IF not employees will not be forthcoming with evidence of wrongdoing!

Accountability, starts with management and no excuses excepted when the proof shows other wise!

If an employee is found to be covering up for another employee, they also must pay for their role!

The below federal arrest, in March 2015, will give you an idea as to why Hickey resigned. It is a rather similar case earlier this year involving the VA. Note the possible 40 years prison sentence and total of $500,000 in possible fines. (Just wait till charges start being filed on the $1 billion Aurora VA hospital scandal. The shredders are running 24/7 to destroy evidence on that one.)

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Northern District of Alabama

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, March 12, 2015

VA Hospital Union Official Arrested for Stealing from Union

BIRMINGHAM — Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested the former president of the federal employees union at Birmingham’s Veterans Affairs Hospital on charges she embezzled more than $132,000 from the local chapter.

A federal grand jury last month indicted STEPHANIE HICKS, 43, of Birmingham, on bank fraud, forgery and aggravated identity theft charges. U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Monty Stokes, and U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, Investigator Hollis Lindley Jr. announced the indictment, which was unsealed following Hicks’ arrest.

“Union members elect officials to represent them and protect their interests,” Vance said. “A labor union official who chooses, instead, to live the high life by stealing from local members has committed a crime and should prepare to go to prison.”

“This indictment is a testament to the excellent interagency cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Justice,” Stokes said. “As president of the local union, Hicks represented Local 2207, with more than 400 VA members. VA OIG will continue to pursue those that abuse their positions of trust and steal from innocent victims.”

“OLMS aggressively investigates allegations of financial mismanagement by union officers,” Lindley said. “Union members have an expectation that their elected officers are using the union funds for legitimate union purposes,” he said. “This particular case was severe in the amount of money stolen and in the degree of concealment.”

Hicks was elected president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2207, AFL-CIO, at the Birmingham VA Hospital in July 2007 and served until July 2013 when members elected a new president. The local collects dues biweekly from its more than 440 members. During Hicks’ tenure, the local maintained the money in two bank accounts — a general operating account and a legal fund account, first at Wachovia Bank and, following a merger, at Wells Fargo Bank, according to the indictment.

From at least Jan. 1, 2008 until July 26, 2013, Hicks schemed to defraud the banks, using her position as Local 2207 president to conduct unauthorized transactions taking money from the union’s accounts to use for her personal benefit, the indictment charges.

Those transactions included writing checks to herself for travel that did not take place, forging the name of other Local 2207 officers and members on checks she wrote to herself, and making unauthorized debit card purchases and cash withdrawals, according to the indictment.

To conceal her fraud, Hicks did not maintain records of the financial transactions, as required by federal law and Local 2207’s constitution and bylaws, nor did she seek approval for the expenditures, the indictment charges.

The maximum prison penalty for bank fraud is 30 years and for forged securities, 10 years. Both charges carry a $250,000 fine. The penalty for aggravated identity theft is two years in prison, in addition to any time received as punishment on the other charges.

Veterans Affairs, OIG, and the Department of Labor, OLMS and OIG, investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Xavier O. Carter is prosecuting.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

@Bruce, great researching. How bout keeping up on it? Let us know what happens.

@James,
First, she was a “former president of the local union” at the time of the indictment, in Alabama.

Secondly, She was indicted this year in March.Therefore, she will go to court. UNLESS she makes a “PLEA DEAL” to keep from going to prison for a LONGER time! Once an indictment is reached in a court system, there’s no turning back.

I wonder if “Rep. Roby” has anything to do with pushing this issue. It’s been reported, a number of times, she definitely doesn’t like the way VA is being run. Especially in her state (Alabama).

And from what I gather, she’s not to happy about the VA Union, either. You know, how they protect VA employees from being fired when caught doing something wrong.

And I got a feeling she’s not alone when it comes to thieves stealing taxpayers monies. Those VA employees get paid by the taxpayers. Then the Union gets paid by the VA employees. Therefore, Ms. Hicks WAS stealing taxpayers monies.

Elf if you have never been a VA employee, there are people that will falsely accuse fellow employees of wrongdoing and need someone to do the right thing and protect them from injustice!

Employees without someone going to their aid, management would be railroaded!

I was a union representative and I looked at everything, I didn’t automatically defend an employee, when the proof shows wrongdoing!

Some employees are like canables and will devour their own, if they have a personal vendetta against you!

If the evidence or lack of, I would defend that employee until someone provides proof, not hearsay!

Hearsay is just that and has no place in justice for all!

IT all boils down to management failure to keep their employees in check and training on how to be a manager!

If people whom blame other people of wrongdoing and the other party is vindicated, the employee making the allegation should be the one punished for lying in the first place!

Some VA employees will do anything to try to get to the next higher position, no matter how many people they hurt in the process!

I think their motto is, I’ll get you before you get me! Childish, but they know first come first served!

I know this first hand and since I’m not an employee anymore, I have no one to defend me and the employee is in her glory!

Though, I have no one to defend me, I until the day I die, will keep writing to our officials, unit someone has the Morales to make the VA provide them with actual proof that I had done something wrong.

One day my friend, the employee I am speaking about will have everything unravel right in front of her eyes and it will be her downfall and she will go through the same thing she put me through and all that has to happen is for someone to look at the facts of no evidence on her part!

@James
We’re not talking about a VA employee. This was a (former) union president who retired in 2013. She was indicted of embezzlement of union monies and other charges in March 2015 “of over $132,000”. She did the crimes while she was president of that “local chapter” in Birmingham. That’s the difference here. The multiple agencies must have done a long investigation to come up with enough evidence to indict. If there hadn’t been enough evidence, trust me, a grand jury would NOT indict.

I also agree VA employees who are falsely accused of something SHOULD be defended. I will never disagree with you on that issue.

@Bruce,
I can’t wait until they go after the numbnuts out there in Aurora, Colorado either.

Do you remember those two shitwads they caught and tried up in Ohio over that fiasco? One was an architect, I believe. The other idiot was a director of the Dayton, Ohio VA clinic who, by the way, did a “PLEA DEAL” to keep from going to prison for a LONGER time.
Maybe Hickey can, and should, take a hint from that?! Watcha think? I also think those other two shitwads who received the “relocation” monies should be indicted and tried for grand theft of taxpayers monies.

According to “Military dot com”
“Military Report”
“VA Million Veteran Program Hits Milestone”

All I can say about this article is:
Do y’all want to be a guinea pig? Read it!

Also, there was a large number of articles on this afternoons “military dot com” email to me concerning VA.

We must also remember the military will not be receiving COLA as well. That should make our proud soldiers, sailors, marines et., etc., proud to be serving a country who doesn’t give a rats ass about them.

namnibor, I gave that article about the “privatizing VA” because it came to my email box from Ron Nesler’s, “VAislying”. I thought it would stir up some thought provoking discussion. I also do not want to see VA privatised. That insures veterans dying!

I’m still waiting on anything coming out of Augusta, Ga. on that “VA manager”, Cathedral Henderson’s trial.
I think it starts this month.

Later on this week, I’ll send Volusia County more emails over that “VA is Lying” billboard. To see what the story is on it. I have a feeling they will ignore me.
The Marine who put it up, only paid for a month. So, again, I have a feeling they will ignore me.

@James,
No, I’m not sure of the “Who” had it removed. This was what was said to me by a couple of friends. That’s why I’m being careful how I approach it.

Also, if you’d like to, google the “Volusia County, Florida” Commissioners Office. Contact information. It should give you each persons name plus their email address.
I could sure use the help. Just one thing, please don’t accuse YET. Find out the “who, what, why, when, where and how” first.

Just now on Channel 6 news WKMG. (407)291-6000 @ 5:30pm. A Marine who was stationed at Camp Lejeune in the 50’s is wanting to know why he can’t get a disability rating and comp for the deseases he’s suffering from? The deseases he has infect less than .01% of the population, Very rare indeed!
Call them, ask if it’s been put on the web. Then google the article.

Elf, I don’t know if you have a way to contact the Marine vet who served at LeJune in the 1950’s. But, he is certainly meets the age requirement, and has medical disability issues, that have earned him a VA pension, whether it is service connected or not. I am not sure, but it is supposed to be around $1,700 a month and — again, I think, can be used for stay at home care and/or living expenses or in-patient/senior residence center type facility payment. It may be that he already has it and is trying to get a service connected rating. I seem to recall toxic shit in the drinking water at Camp LeJune being a major story in the media a while back.

@Bruce
Yes that’s what the elderly marine was wanting. He said the VA was stonewalling him. I believe it really has to do with the age(s) of these vets. I know another vet, in his 80’s, who is dealing with the same crap VA puts out. He broke his back while in service. And the VA is denying him on stuff he never put in for! How’s that for a fubar!?

Hickey, her Undersecretary, Graves, and Rubens should be prosecuted by DOJ, but it will never happen. How many veterans have to suffer or die before the Veterans Affairs Committee legislates real change.